1. Field
The disclosure relates generally to a telecommunications apparatus and more particularly to an adapter for mounting a protector module to a ground, which may be used in, for example, network interface device applications.
2. Technical Background
Telephone service is provided by a telephone company (“provider”) to a number of different customers of the provider, commonly referred to as “subscribers.” Each subscriber may purchase as many separate telephone lines as desired and equip his or her home or business with various types of telephone equipment. Subscribers are responsible for proper operation of the telephone equipment and the provider is responsible for proper operation of the telephone network up to the interface between the provider wiring and the subscriber wiring.
A telephone network interface device (“NID”) typically serves as a demarcation point between the provider wiring and the subscriber wiring. NIDs serve the function of isolating the provider portion of the system or wiring from that of the respective subscribers. Such isolation is desirable in order to segregate the responsibility for faults or malfunctions that may occur in the respective parts of the system.
In practice, known NID designs are typically mounted to an exterior wall of a house or building. Conventional NIDs generally include a container or housing, the interior of which is divided into a provider portion and a subscriber portion. Provider wiring typically enters the NID and terminates in the provider portion. The subscriber wiring typically enters the NID and terminates in the subscriber portion. At least one interconnect apparatus is located between the two portions and generally operates to connect the subscriber wiring to the provider wiring. The provider portion also typically contains protective devices to protect equipment and users from excess voltages.
As used herein, the term “interconnect apparatus” or “terminating device” is intended to include any type of known connector for interconnecting service provider wiring with subscriber wiring, configured with or without a “protector module” for protecting against a voltage and/or current surge, including but not limited to a line module, a protected terminating device (“PTD”), or the like. Known interconnect apparatuses are typically a modular device that can be mounted in the subscriber portion of the NID and easily replaced if rendered inoperable. Prior art terminating devices, such as line modules, typically include a housing and a cover that can pivot between a closed position and an open position. The housing of the line module includes a pair of insertion channels that allow the provider wires to be electrically coupled with a pair of contacts located in an integrated jack. In the current installation process, a service provider's wiring is connected to a protector module and the protector module is connected to the line module.
Presently, the demarcation point arrangement is undergoing updates. In the new process, the service provider's wiring connects to the protector module as before except instead of being connected to the line module, the wiring goes into the premises and is connected to a jack, which is sometimes referred to as an i-Jack. The jack now acts as the demarcation point. This is where the subscriber connects to a gateway that provides all the services requested. The gateway has a connection back to the jack that sends the plain-old-telephone service (POTS) or voice-over-Internet-protocol (VoIP) to POTS back to the jack. Wiring from the jack returns to the NID and is connected to the line module and the subscriber's wiring. The line module does not contain a disconnect point.
The current change in the demarcation point arrangement presents opportunities to reuse certain structures within older, legacy NIDS, and in particular, protector modules. Two types of protector modules, oftentimes referred to as universal station protector modules (USP), are commonly used in NIDs. A first type is used for adding a line to a subscriber service with an older, legacy NID, and is referred to as an add-a-line kit. The kit provides a protector module coupled to a line module either directly or using a length of wire. In this setting, the protector module includes ground adapters, e.g., tangs, wings or tabs, on each side which can be broken off easily to allow mounting the protector module onto a ground bar or adapter with a ground post. If installed into a common NID footprint, such as the UNI™ Series Universal NID (UNID) available from Corning Optical Communications LLC, the ground adapters have to be broken off in order to mount the protector module onto a ground post using a push-on method of grounding/mounting the protector module. More specifically, the protector module has a clip that is inside a pocket that pushes onto a vertical ground post to make contact. In addition, where the protector module is factory installed in the NID, e.g., a UNID, the protector module does not have the ground adapters because the protector module directly presses down on a vertical grounding element of the NID and, consequently, the ground adapters are not needed.
When upgrading service in the field, e.g., to accommodate the new demarcation point arrangement, it is beneficial to reuse existing protector modules. That is, an existing protector module may be removed from an old NID and de-coupled from any line module to which it is attached, and re-used in a new NID. However, if the protector module does not have a ground adapter because it did not originally have one or it has been previously removed, the protector module cannot be re-used.